About 4 months ago I was laying in bed watching TV while my wife went out to some conference thing. She did explain what it was, but to be perfectly honest, she knows and I know that I wasn't paying any attention at all as soon as she started to describe it.

So my bedroom TV doesn't have a cable box, and therefore no DVR or Channel Guide. Well, that in itself was almost enough to make me get up and move my lazy ass over to the couch. But I wouldn't be lazy then would I?

I decided that it was easier to just hit the channel up button over and over again. When I cycled through all 74 stations twice I was almost ready to give up. I figured I'd try one more time. That is when I saw it.

The greatest gimmick of all time.

Train hard for 90 days and you will be FUCKING RIPPED.

So, I am a gullible guy, but even I know that infomercials are made from pure evil. I started to watch purely for the entertainment value of seeing some really cheesy acting by "fitness professionals".

It didn't happen. There was nothing cheese. Well, Tony Horton is cheesy, but the product wasn't.

So I did some research on the net and found that the reviews for P90X were actually good. So my wife and I talked about it and decided that together we would do the Power 90 Extreme Home Fitness Training System.

We did it all for 3 months, the diet, the workouts, the supplements, the whole fucking thing. And today we finished. Done.

So... did it work?

Here are the chest/abs & Arms changes.

Left = After
Right = Before

Arms:


Chest/Abs:



I'm happy with the changes in appearance, but was much happier with the change in my physical abilities.

I went from being able to do 30 push ups at once to 55.
I went from being able to do 8 pull ups at once to 30.
I went from being able to lift 20lb for bicep curls 20 times to 40lb for 8 times.
I did some other tests, some were impressive, but not by typical standards. I think the biggest change for me was that my resting heart rate dropped from 68 to 56.

So I'm not trying to say everyone or anyone should do this thing. I was just amazed that something I bought from an infomercial actually worked.

P.S. My wife is even hotter now.

Tebor wrote:

I thought the P90 was a gun! Damn you!!!

The Pfeifer Zeliska is a big gun.

P90x gives you big guns.

In many ways they are similar.

JEW wrote:

GPFontaine wrote: My wife is even hotter now. I agree.

I was going to write some response to this, but the hot wife is currently my hot wife who is complaining that I am keeping her awake.

I disagree. But I don't want to hear it.

Blackout Boy wrote:

Dude you should totally sign up the www.softwarebillionsclub.com

If I did that, I would kick its ass so hard that it would make me a trillion moneys!

I've been back at it. P90X and work have once again consumed my life. I spend about 3 hours a day between workouts and food preparation.

I am 5 weeks into the program and the results are beginning to show.

FNJ wrote:

I totally forgot about this topic. Is this a program that you constantly do, like make a permanent routine out of, or is it something that you do for a few weeks, and then do other stuff to maintain the changes?

It is a 90 day program that really pushes you. It consists of two major components, fitness and nutrition. After 90 days there is a recommended two week resting period in which you would avoid lifting, but maintain average cardio workouts. Once that is over, each person has to make the decision for themselves. To maintain the results a much lighter mixed workout including cardio and lifting would be required. However, if you wanted to continue to see gains, you would repeat the 90 day program or at least keep up the intensity.

The workouts are hard, very hard. The toughest part however is the time commitment to food and nutrition. I spend at least an hour in the kitchen each day at a minimum prepping food. I shop at four grocery stores to get everything I need and make sure it is fresh and healthy.

Since that may sound somewhat confusing, I go to the following stores:
1) Super Market for essential foods (eggs, milk, bread)
2) Trader Joe's for sports bars, healthy snacks, frozen fruit, and cheeses
3) Natural Market for fruits and vegetables
4) Walmart for meat. Yes, you can get hormone-free, antibiotic free meat at Walmart and it is about $2 less per pound on just about every single type. When you eat 10-15oz of meat per day and two people are doing it, making the extra trip to Walmart is fiscally worth it.

My wife and I have talked about our goals after the program. We both think we want to cycle it at least until this summer when we have scheduled a beach vacation. That would mean another 90 days. I can tell you though that each day is hard, but the feeling you get is worth it.

pineapple wrote:

Man, if you would've done a split workout instead of this, you could've seen way better results.

In retrospect, if I had eaten better the first time I did it, I would have seen better results. If I had the correct weights from the start, I would have seen better results. If I had a workout area other than my living room, I would have seen better results.

This time around I am doing it all better. I eat better, I have all the weights I need, and I have a workout room.

My first month saw the following gains:
Comparing Day 1 to Day 30 Results:
Body Fat: 16.7% down to 6.9% - I am concerned that this could be too fast a drop, but its done now
Weight: 153lb down to 149lb - Hopefully the weight goes up starting... this month from muscle mass.
Based on % fat change and body weight change, I have gained ~11lb of muscle weight.
Waist: 34.5in down to 32.75in - Ha ha! My pants fit again!
Chest: 35.25in up to 36.75in - Push ups seem to be working!

So, pineapple, while I may be able to see better results with other plans, I am currently satisfied with the one I am on and will remain so as long as both my wife and I remain healthy and keep seeing results. My guess is that you are judging this fitness/nutrition system without having tried it.

Doddsino wrote:

Not only did you get abs, but turn 4 shades whiter!

The first time around I started in late September and ended just before the new year. That particular summer I had gone on my honeymoon to Jamaica and spent about two weeks at Cape Cod.

This time, my skin tone should be the same pale color from beginning to end.

Ash Burton wrote:

It really all comes down to muscle confusion. Tricking your body so it never becomes complacent or comfortable.

During each workout I push myself just hard enough to be beyond my mental comfort zone, but always shy of injuring myself. I make sure to write down my results and try as hard as I can to surpass them the next time I cycle through the workout. Once I pass my previous marks, I then try to see if I can take it even further. Each workout is hard, but the gains come from those last few reps of discomfort.

Examples of the progress can be seen through weight gains and repetition increases. For pull-ups, I started at 5-8 per set during the first workouts and am now at 10-17. For my chest and back workouts I began doing 175 moves the first week, 214 the second and 263 the third. During those weeks my weights all increased as well, in many cases by 5lb per week.